


So, How's Work?

by DeanWinchesterIsTrans



Series: Avengers Meets Doctor Who(clever title yes I know) [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 17:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11559729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanWinchesterIsTrans/pseuds/DeanWinchesterIsTrans
Summary: Kate Stewart and Pepper Potts have lunch on Tuesdays.





	So, How's Work?

Pepper Potts slid into the chair across from Kate Stewart. "How's UNIT, Kate?" she asked politely.

"Working my way up through the ranks, bit by bit," Kate replied, determined as ever to improve the organization. "How's your company?"

Kate had begun calling Stark Industries "Pepper's company" some time ago, and, well, she wasn't exactly wrong.

"It's been worse," Pepper admitted. "Recently, I've scheduled a gala to celebrate the anniversary of, oh, I forgot how many years the company's been running. You should come."

Kate smiled. "As long as no aliens invade, and no catastrophe happens, I'll be there." Anything for a friend.

"Thank you."

-

"How's your company, Pepper?" Kate asked, sitting opposite her friend.

"It's doing fairly well." She added, "I've recently come to the conclusion that I could give myself raises, and nobody would stop me. I honestly don't know what to do with this power, or if I should be allowed to take advantage of it at all."

"I think you should go for it," reasoned Kate.  
"You deserve it, after all."

Pepper smiled mischievously. "Thanks. How's UNIT?"

"I'm having some trouble convincing this lot of soldiers to give science a go, but we're starting to get there," Kate said proudly.

"That's wonderful. To science!" Pepper toasted her.

"To science!" Kate replied with a laugh.

-

"How's UNIT doing?"

"Well," Kate sighed, "we were politely requested to stop being called United Nations Intelligence Taskforce by the United Nations themself, which was a headache and a half. We're Unified Intelligence Taskforce now. How's your company going?"

Pepper hummed thoughtfully. "Pretty well, rival companies have begun smear campaigns on social media sites, which is tediously childish, but nothing I can't handle."

"If you want, I could probably delete their various social media accounts," Kate offered.

"No, thank you. That's very sweet, but I can handle a couple businessmen with far too much time on their hands."

"I didn't mean to say that you couldn't."

"I know."

-

"So... Iron Man, huh?" Kate asked, not quite sure how to politely approach the subject.

Pepper winced. She often wished news traveled far slower than it did, especially after that whole incident. "Yes. I'm just glad he's alright, but the backlash from that press conference is a bit much to deal with at times." She sighed. "So, what have you been up to?" asked Pepper, really not feeling like talking about Tony.

"Oh, not much really," said Kate dismissively. "There was that Sontaran invasion, but I wasn't in the country for that mess. I hear the Doctor came and solved everything, though."

"Tony talks about your Doctor sometimes. He seems dead set on finding him, and figuring him out. I sometimes wish I could find the Doctor to get Tony to stop talking about it," Pepper mused.

"Maybe I could arrange something?" Kate offered. "The Doctor rarely visits when the world isn't ending, but I could still try to get in contact. He does love talking to geniuses."

"Oh, Kate that would be a blessing. I don't know how to thank you." Pepper sighed in relief. She cares about Tony, yes, but she can only handle so much of a rant about a man he met briefly at one time. Hopefully some answers might hush him up, at least temporarily. She was wrong.

"Don't worry about it."

-

"I'm so sorry about your father, Kate. If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know, please."

"His funeral is this Saturday. I'm going to need support to make it through," said Kate, trying to be a straightforward as possible.

"I'll be there," Pepper promised.

-

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Aliens over New York? I thought that was supposed to be my thing."

Relaxing, Pepper sighed. "Yeah, me too. Can you take the aliens back, actually?" she joked. "I don't want to see anything extraterrestrial for the rest of my life."

Kate laughed. "I wish that was how it worked." She paused for a moment, considering. "I'd just throw some of UNIT's problems at Torchwood, let them figure out a handful."

Pepper grinned, having heard a story or two about the notorious pain known as Torchwood. "How well would that really go, though?"

"You're right, it'd be a complete disaster."

-

"Do you have anything to do with these black cubes?" Pepper asked, curious.

"No, but we're studying them," Kate informed her. "How's the company?"

"Business has... stagnated for a while." Pepper said, sighing. "Tony has refused to work on anything until he understands what the cubes are, which tends to get in the way of, oh, all his other responsibilities."

"That's unfortunate. I'll let you know of any further developments with the cubes."

"Thank you."

-

"Um, that thing with the cubes, was that UNIT?"

"No, we had nothing to do with it. I don't really know what happened, really, other than it had something to do with the Doctor." Kate looked exasperated. "I just wish he would stick around long enough to explain things instead of running off and leaving us to pick up the pieces. Were you alright, though? I tried to reach you as soon as I could."

Pepper smiled. "Yes, I was fine. Were you?"

"Don't worry, I was."

-

"So, how's UNIT?" Pepper asked.

"I just recently stopped a Zygon invasion. Well, I negotiated a peace treaty with the Zygons. Their integration into society has been going well, barring a few isolated incidents," Kate said as smoothly as talking about the weather.

"What's a Zygon?" Pepper asked.

"An alien shapeshifter."

"Hm. That's cool." Pepper was barely phased by anything now.

"Yes, very," Kate replied dryly. "Actually, one transformed into me at one point, though I can't remember much of that."

"How can you tell who's a shapeshifter and who isn't?" Pepper asked, a bit worried.

"You can't."

"Well, that's not concerning at all."

"Don't worry about it," Kate laughed. "And the Zygon changed into someone else after, so you don't have to keep looking at me like that."

-

"What have you been up to?" Pepper asked casually.

"Oh, you know." Kate shrugged. "The usual."

"Seen any weird aliens lately?"

"Surprisingly, no. You?"

"Well, if you count Thor walking through the tower eating a whole box of Pop-Tarts, and singing show tunes in the morning as a "weird alien," then yes, yes I have," Pepper admitted.

"Hm. That beats dealing with some of the stuff that comes into my office every day."

-

"You must have had to do with those metal things in the graves. What were they?" Pepper asked.

Tiredly, Kate replied, "Cybermen."

"Cybermen?"

"Yes. They don't normally convert the dead, though. That was new," she noted.

Pepper noticed Kate was wearing a cast. "Kate, are you alright?"

"Well, I did fall out of a plane," Kate reasoned, "but yes."

"A plane?!"

"Yes, but a Cyberman caught me. It was dad. My dad caught me, Pepper."

"Oh, Kate..." She didn't know what else to say.

"The person responsible for the Cybermen has been killed," Kate reassured Pepper, but immediately took away the comforting sentiment by adding. "I doubt if she's actually dead, though, or if she'll stay dead for long. His records show numerous accounts of supposedly dying, but turning back up again just to cause trouble."

Pepper did notice the switch in pronouns, but didn't say anything. She figured if it was really important, Kate would tell her. "I'm just glad you're alright," Pepper admitted.


End file.
